Eiger one more time?

"The crux pitches are usually short-lived, but are very steep and are often poorly protected and mainly on almost bare rock. Usually climbed with ice axes and crampons due to verglas and very low temperatures, an estimation of the difficulty of the hardest sections would be Scottish VI,6 or M5. On many of these crux sections the sloping nature of the limestone is very unhelpful for crampon-shod feet, and the mixed climbing bears little resemblance to the more commonly climbed routes on the superb granite of the popular Mont Blanc range."

3 comments:

Conditions..it is all about condions, what you decide is important and the season you choose to climb in. Good efforts by all.

"The previous Eiger North Face record, held by Ueli Steck, was 2 hours and 47 minutes. Arnold has knocked 19 minutes off that already unbelievable time. A slight difference in approach is that Steck climbed the route entirely free where as Arnold made use of the fixed ropes on the Hinterstoisser Traverse. Steck's ascent was also within the official 'winter' season."

Arnold's was not a winter ascent.

Big difference in conditions between early Feb. for Steck and late April for Arnold.